Wrench

ABSTRACT

An open end wrench is provided for operating upon a nominal size of nuts and boltheads, which need not be removed from the nut or bolthead being operated upon to obtain a new bite. The wrench includes a fixed jaw and a wrench handle integral therewith, and a movable jaw and a locking lever integral therewith, the movable jaw and lever being pivotally mounted upon the fixed jaw and handle, biasing means which cooperates with the locking lever and handle in scissors fashion to selectively force the wrench jaws into a nut- or bolt-grasping position, and a slide lock for locking the jaws into such position. Alternative slide lock arrangements are provided.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Richard W. Smedley c/o The Smedley(30., 1008 Alann Drive, .lollei. 111.60435 21 Appl. No, 833,275 [22]Filed June 16. No) [45] Patented Aug. 17, 1971 [54] WRENCH-1 2 Claims, 8Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 81/116 [51] Int. Cl 1 r B251) 13/32 [50] Field of Search81/116 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 692,002 1/1902Blackburn 81/116 764,353 7/1904 Cronk 81/116 1,160,737 11/1915 McCurley.1 81/116 ABSTRACT: An open end wrench is provided for operating upon anominal size of nuts and boltheads, which need not be removed from thenut or bolthead being operated upon to obtain a new bite. The wrenchincludes a fixed jaw and a wrench handle integral therewith, and amovable jaw and a locking lever integral therewith, the movable jaw andlever being pivotally mounted upon the fixed jaw and handle, biasingmeans which cooperates with the locking lever and handle in scissorsfashion to selectively force the wrench jaws into a nutor bolt-graspingposition, and a slide lock for locking the jaws into such position.Alternative slide lock arrangements are provided.

WRENCH DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally toopen end wrenches, and more particularly to an open end wrench havingpivotal jaws for operating upon a nut or bolthead.

It is the primary aim of this invention to provide a simple and ruggedwrench which may be used to rapidly loosen or tighten a nut or boltheadlocated in a close and awkward working space.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a wrench which maybe selectively locked in a nut or bolt-grasping position by a simplemanual movement by the wrench operator.

It is also an object to provide a wrench which in use need not beremoved from a nut or bolthead to obtain a new bite thereon, but whichthrough slight manipulation is capable of being loosened from the nut orbolthead, slipped therearound in position for a new grip, and tightlysecured to the nut for the v next turn. It is an ancillary object ofthis invention to provide a wrench which can first grasp a nut fortightening or loosening movement, then release its grip and slide aroundthe nut without moving it, and finally regrasp the nut in a new bite.

It is an ancillary object to provide alternate forms of the wrench, soas to provide locking position for the wrench jaws, or several suchlocking positions, or an infinite number of such locking positions.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading thefollowing detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view showing the novel wrench.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the wrench jaws locked in a grasp ing positionholding a typical nut.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2, showing the jaws in an openposition and having the top of the handle shown seetionally to show theparts located therein more clearly.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing an alternative form of thesliding jaw lock mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the jaws locked by thealternative jaw lock.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIGS. 4 and 5 showing a second alternativeform of the jaw locking mechanism, and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the jaws locked by the secondalternative form of the jaw locking mechanism.

While the invention will be described in connection with preferredembodiments, it will be understood that I do not intend to limit theinvention to those embodiments. On the contrary, I intend to cover allalternatives, modifications, and equivalents as it and scope of theinvention.

Turning first to FIG. 2, there is shown a wrench l0 grasping a typicalnut 11 or bolthead ofa given nominal size.

In accordance with the invention, the wrench has a handle l2 and a firstor fixed jaw 13 integral therewith, a second jaw 14 movable with respectto the fixed jaw 13, a locking lever 15 integral with the movable jaw14, and a pin 16 for pivotally attaching the moveable jaw 14 and lockinglever 15 to the fixed jaw 13 and handle 12. Preferably, a locking leverbiasing means 17, such as a spring interposed between the locking lever15 and a portion of the handle 12 urges the jaws into the closedposition shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 8.

In operation, the open end of the wrench I0 is first pushed toward thenut 11. The beveled tips 18 and 19 provided on the jaws I3 and M,respectively, cause the jaws l3 and 14 to be forced open (by camlikeengagement of the tips with the nut 11), from the described closedposition to a nut-engaging position shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, thusallowing the jaws l3 and 14 to slide around the sides 21, 22 of the nut11 or bolthead. These novel beveled tips may also be provided upon knownwrenches so as to assist in guiding the wrench head into place about anut or bolthead when the nut or head is installed in a cramped orhard-to-see location.

When the wrench jaws l3 and 14 are moved around the nut as shown inFIGS. 2, 6 and 8, the jaws l3 and 14 are urged back into the closedposition and engagement with the nut III by the locking lever biasingmeans 17. Thejaws l3 and 14 may now be retained or locked in thenut-grasping position shown by a slide lock 25 which can be movablymounted upon or within the handle 12. More particularly, the slide lock25 moves along a slide lock groove 26 formed in the handle 12, and inthe preferred embodiment is urged toward the locking lever 15 by theslide lock biasing means 27 which, in the device illustrated, takes theform of a coil spring. With the slide lock 25 thus engaging both thelocking lever 15 and handle 12, the nut 11 can be tightened or loosenedby appropriate movement of the handle 12.

It is a feature of this invention that the wrench 10 need not be removedfrom the nut 11 to obtain a new bite. To obtain a new bite, the jaws l3and 14 are unlocked from the grasping position by moving the slide 25toward the rear of the handle 12. In order to so move the slide 25, itis provided with actuating means 28, which in the illustratedembodiment, comprises a small lug projecting above the enclosing handle12 through a slot 29, so that the slide 25 may be moved by the wrenchoperator into and out of engagement with the locking lever 15. It willbe understood that the lug may alternatively project from the side orthe bottom of the handle 12, if desired, as shown in FIG. 1. The wrenchmay then be moved to a new bite position, and when the new bite isobtained, the jaws 13 and 14 are again locked in position by operationof the slide lock 25 and the nut may then be rotated by moving thehandle 12.

When the nut I1 is completely tightened, the wrench 10 my be easilyremoved therefrom by unlocking the jaws l3 and 14. This is accomplishedby moving the slide lock 25 to the rear of the handle 12 and thenslightly rotating, if necessary, the handle 12, thus opening the jaws 13and 14 and moving the wrench 10 into the position shown in FIGS. 4, 5and 7, whereupon the wrench 10 may be slipped off the nut 11. Usuallythe wrench may be slipped off the nut directly without any rotativemotion of the handle.

After complete removal, the jaws are retained in a readyfor-use closedposition by the mating surfaces 35, 35a of the fixed and movable jaws l3and 14, respectively, which swing into abutment and prevent furtherclosing motion of the jaws. The jaws may also be retained in this closedposition by other methods such as by the engagement of surface 35b ofthe locking lever and surface 35c of the handle (FIG. 5), and byswinging engagement of surface 35d of the locking lever with surface 35cof the fixed handle (FIGS. 2 and 4).

Several alternate forms of the slide lock 25 are provided to give thewrench user alternate types of locking styles for the wrench jaws. Inthe embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, the slide 25 and the locking lever 15are provided with continuous matched interfacing sides 30 and 31,respectively, which are formed at an angle to the axis 32 of the handle.A wedging action is thus caused by the slide lock 25, which provides thejaws I3 and 1 1 with an infinite nus er of grasping positions. A stopsurface 33, shown in FIG. 3 and forming he forward limit of the slot 29in the handle 12, prevents the slide lock 25 from sliding too farforward and becoming stuck when the wrench 10 is not grasping a nut 11and the jaws 13 and 14 a. i in the ready-for-use closed position. Ifmass production or other factors make it necessary, the locking levercan be formed with a stop 33a shown in FIG. 6 to halt the forward motionofthe slide lock 2511.

In the first alternate form of locking mechanism shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,the slide lock 25a and locking lever are provided with a single set ofmatched interfacing sides 36; and 31a, extending parallel to the axis 32ofthe handle 12, thereby providing the jaws 13 and 14 with a single lockgrasping position.

In the second alternate form of locking mechanism shown in FIGS. 7 and8, the slide lock 25b and the locking lever 15b are provided with aseries of matched stepped interfacing sides 30b and 31b, the side ofeach step being formed approximately parallel to the axis 32 of thehandle 12, thereby providing the jaws l3 and 14 with a series of lockedgrasping positions.

In further accordance with the primary aim of the invention, the jaws l3and 14 may be, if desired, formed with lands 40 and corners 41 as shownso that the nut 11 may be grasped in the positions shown in FIGS. 2, 6or 8 which are only two of the series of positions in which nuts may begrasped. It will be understood that a nut may be grasped in any positionwhich is angularly spaced an integral multiple of 30 from the positionsshown, since any such position will conform to either one or the otherof the two positions shown. The wrench head 43 may also be formed withthe well-known uncut lands formed at mutual angles of 120 so as to graspnuts in successive positions spaced angularly apart at integralmultiples of 60 The wrench head may also, of course, be formed speciallyto accept and operate upon squareheaded nuts, if desired.

The axis 42 of the head 43 and the axis 32 of the handle 12 can be madeto form an angle 50, as shown in FIG. 4, preferably of substantiallyabout 7/2, thereby allowing a hexagonal nut 11 to be turned through afull 360 of revolution by repeatedly turning the nut 11 through 15 ofrotation, turning the wrench over, reapplying the wrench 10 to the nut11, and rotating the nut 11 through another 15 of rotation. This allowsuse of the wrench in close working spaces where it can be swung throughperhaps onlyl6 or 17 of arc, as often occurs in the repair orconstruction of modern machinery. Altematively, angle 50 may be formedat substantially 15, which will require successively swinging the wrenchthrough 30 of arc to turn a nut through a full 360 of rotation. For useon square nuts this angle will be substantially 22V2 and will requiresuccessively swing the handle through 45 of arc to fully rotate a nut.

If desired, terminal lands 55 may be provided on the jaws as shown toassist in retaining the wrench upon the nut or bolthead. It will benoted that when the terminal lands 55 are utilized in the wrench design,all six sides of a hexagonal nut are at least partially engaged by thewrench head 43.

The wrench head 43 and handle 12 may also be formed at a second angle 51of convenient size as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 so as to avoid dashing theoperator's knuckles against a projecting work surface. It will beunderstood that either, neither, or both of these discussed angles 50and 51 may be incorporated in the wrench design at the option of themanufacturer, depending upon the desires of purchasers.

I claim:

1. An open end wrench, comprising the combination of first and secondopposed gripping jaws normally carried in a closed positionsubstantially conforming to the shape of a single nominal size ofhexagonal or square nut or bolt head, pivot means for mounting said jawsso as to permit relative movement therebetween, a wrench handle integralwith the first jaw, a locking lever integral with the second jaw, aslide lock movably mounted within the handle and interposed between thehandle and the locking lever, the slide lock being provided with atleast one surface extending substantially parallel to the wrench handle,and the locking lever having a corresponding surface extending parallelto the wrench handle for simultaneous engagement by the surface of theslide lock, said mating surfaces being enclosed within the wrenchhandle, the slide lock when so selectively engaged retaining the secondjaw in a nut and bolthead grasping position relative to the first jaw.Said jaws being provided with beveled tips formed for engagement withthe nut or bolthead to force the jaws to open from said closed positionsufficiently to slide around and grip the sides of the nut or bolthead,and locking lever biasing means for urging said jaws toward said closedposition.

2. An open end wrench as defined in claim 1 in which the wrench head andjaws are disposed in a plane forming an angle of substantially 15 withthe axis and plane of the wrench handle.

1. An open end wrench, comprising the combination of first and secondopposed gripping jaws normally carried in a closed positionsubstantially conforming to the shape of a single nominal size ofhexagonal or square nut or bolt head, pivot means for mounting said jawsso as to permit relative movement therebetween, a wrench handle integralwith the first jaw, a locking lever integral with the second jaw, aslide lock movably mounted within the handle and interposed between thehandle and the locking lever, the slide lock being provided with atleast one surface extending substantially parallel to the wrench handle,and the locking lever having a corresponding surface extending parallelto the wrench handle for simultaneous engagement by the surface of theslide lock, said mating surfaces being enclosed within the wrenchhandle, the slide lock when so selectively engaged retaining the secondjaw in a nut and bolthead grasping position relative to the first jaw.Said jaws being provided with beveled tips formed for engagement withthe nut or bolthead to force the jaws to open from said closed positionsufficiently to slide around and grip the sides of the nut or bolthead,and locking lever biasing means for urging said jaws toward said closedposition.
 2. An open end wrench as defined in claim 1 in which thewrench head and jaws are disposed in a plane forming an angle ofsubstantially 15* with the axis and plane of the wrench handle.